Steamers are used in the food service industry to treat bread and bread-type products prior to being served. When steam impregnates a bread-type food product, such as a sandwich roll, the steam tends to soften the bread product making the bread product seem fresher.
Steamers include both boiler-type steamers as well as flash steamers in which a volume of water is deposited or sprayed onto a hot surface, which “flashes” or converts the water to steam. A small, fixed amount of water is delivered onto a hot, dry surface which causes the water to be quickly boiled off and turned into steam.
A problem arises with prior art steamers when the water being boiled off contains minerals, as is the case with almost all water except for distilled water and “softened” water, which is that dissolved minerals precipitate out of solution when water evaporates. Over time, the precipitate builds up on surfaces from which the water evaporates, leaving an unsightly deposit that can also clog the water pathway. Prior art steamers that use horizontal water conduits are particularly susceptible to mineral build up because the horizontal pipe empties when the water supply is shut off between steam generating cycles.
Minerals like calcium carbonate and other solutes precipitate out of solution when the water they are dissolved in evaporates away, as happens when water is flashed into steam. Surfaces that have water evaporate from them will therefore tend to become encrusted with precipitate. Mineral deposits that form on the surfaces of water-carrying conduits will build up over time impeding its effectiveness. Solutes that precipitate out of the water will eventually build up until the water-carrying conduit is completely blocked, necessitating its replacement.